Harvest Ale | Founders Brewing Company

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Reviews by vizzionman:

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Polished tangerine with honey hued highlights and a fine yeasty haziness. The top third of the Founders pint glass is filled with an attractive crown of bubbly foam that is aged ivory in color. Cheese grater-like lace is impressively extensive and looks like it will stick around for the duration.

Despite being roughly four months of age, the nose on this wet-hopped American pale ale is still pretty aromatic. Sunshine bright citrus juicy top notes are perfectly complemented by a mid-range fruit peel muskiness. Assuming only a single hop was used (which is often the case in beer of this sort), I'll go with Cascade.

Harvest Ale is good beer that still has more than a little lupulin life left in it. There is no question that it was more aggressive back in August, but hopheads will still find enough flavor and bitterness for it to be worth their while. Another month and... don't wait that long. Drink whatever bottles are in your possession... right... now!

The malt component is slightly toasted and doesn't impinge too awful much on the (still pretty) fresh hop flavor. Citrus fruit rules the day, on the order of lemon, orange and white grapefruit. Simple, straightforward and hopilicious. What's not to like?

A gorgeous array of lace earns the appearance score an increase. The mouthfeel is fine for the style. It has just the right amount of heft and contains bubbles that stay in the background, yet tickle the tongue to a minor degree.

It's a shame that I wasn't able to experience Harvest Ale immediately after bottling. That said, it has held up remarkably well and is pleasing me to no end this morning. Hoppy beer is a fine way to start the day, spend the day and end the day. Good job Founders.

Poured from a 12 FL. OZ. bottle into a pint glass. BOTTLED 09/30/2014.

Appearance: Pours a golden body with a thin white head.

Smell: Light juicy hop and strong pilsner malt aroma.

Taste: Spicy hop flavor. Firm crisp bitterness. Sweet pilsner malts.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body, sharp bitter aftertaste.

Overall: Not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting a much juicier, tropical/citrus hop bomb. Bitterness is high, but body is light and crisp. Non of the classic ale fruitiness. If you told me this was a continental pilsner, I would have believed you.

Great to finally try this beer,poured into a standard pint glass a hazed light golden with a frothy one finger white head.Awesome aromas of you guessed it fresh citric and and piney hop with a touch of sweetish biscuit.Fresh hops jump on the palate,fresh grapefruit and lemon pith with underlying pine needle,a firm slightly sweet malt base is there as well keeping everything in tune.Man I love this brew its fresh hop taste is awesome,my fridge beer for the time being.

Bright golden glow in the light, faint hop haze. Bubbly lacing certainly suffices and then some. Blond tobacco, hemp seed oil, soft pint, cilantro and mint show the hops in an epic proportion for the aroma. Hey malt, how hay doing? Thanks for the bready and biscuity flavors but now you can move aside for what I really want. Fresh hop flavor, thanks. Stodgy oily hop chaos grips the taste buds. Bitterness is not scathing but pricks the tongue enough times to be noticed. Flash of shortbread from the malt but then a whole lot of hop flavor pushes in. Hoppy semi-dry finish.

Great example for someone to try a fresh hopped ale, balanced and drinkable. Complex yet easy to quaff back.

Served cold into a pilsner glass. Expectations are above average given the brewery.

HEAD: 2.5cm wide. White colour. Average thickness and frothiness. Not real creamy or robust. Leaves no lacing as it recedes. Retention is above average - about 3 minutes.

BODY: Clear copper of average vibrance. Clean and clear, obviously filtered. I see no yeast or sediment.

Appears adequately carbonated. Not unique or special. Has no stand-out characteristics.

AROMA: Has a fresh floral hop profile over a pale malt base. Pleasant hints of pine and hop oil. Not resinous, juicy, or overtly fruity.

Though the aroma as a whole is muted and reticent, it suggests a balanced beer with some nice elements.

No yeast character, booze, or off-notes are/is visible.

TASTE: Follows the aroma, with more pale malt sweetness than anticipated. It's not caramalt-heavy, luckily, but it is too forward in terms of malts, casting the hop profile in shadow. Hop notes include floral, lightly piney, slighty resinous, and vaguely fruity.

Somewhat imbalanced, and not quite dialed in. Not gestalt, but it's cohesive enough - albeit rough around the edges. Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour.

I do like it, but there's ample room for improved intricacy, subtlety, and nuance.

TEXTURE: Slightly oily. Overcarbonated. Smooth, wet, medium-bodied, and of average heft and weight on the palate. Not too sticky or syrupy. Not chewy.

This texture complements the flavour profile decently, and fits the style. But it doesn't accentuate specific notes or elevate the beer as a whole.

Not gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy. Well executed for the most part.

OVERALL: It's a nice IPA for what it is, but like many Founders beers, it falls short of the best beers in the style from across the country. Though it fails to compete even with down-the-interstate neighbors Bells Brewing's offerings in the style, it's well worth trying once. I'll enjoy finishing it, but it won't impress discerning drinkers. Drinkable, and it hides its ABV well. Certainly above average.

High C+ (3.25)

***
Notes from Fall 2014. Served on-draught at a bar in Austin, TX:

APPEARANCE: Head is 3 fingers in height and white in colour. Soft and supple. Boasts nice froth, creaminess, and thickness. Even light lacing adheres to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Head retention is quite good (~8-9 minutes).

BODY: Clear copper-gold of good vibrance. No yeast or sediment can be seen within. Translucent. Transparent.

A: [4.50] Very transparent straw colored beer. The beer forms a 1/2 finger of white head. The head has some linger to it. The bottle lists the ABV(7.6%) and there is a born on date of (09/30/15).

S: [3.75] Grassy and piney.

T: [3.50] Starts with a resinous pine flavor. Leads into some nice malt sweetness in the middle.

M: [3.50] The mouthfeel is very dry, like a dry wine. The finish is relatively short continuing the dry theme.

O: [3.75] This is a decent beer but nothing stands out. The flavor is solid and drinkable but I expected more. More, bitter, more citrus, more pine - more something. That goes for the nose and the taste. I have had beers with 2% less ABV and more flavor and complexity. This is still a decent beer - it is just not knocking my socks off.

**
01/03/2016
Bottle to goblet. Aroma is pine, hops, citrus. Look is pale yellow, small white head, fades. Taste is a bit soapy, with some pine, some citrus. Ok...well...starts off ok, but it wears thin on you.
**

Pours a nice, golden-yellow color with a bit of haze. Small, white head that floats thinly across the top of the beer and leaves pretty good lacing along the side of the glass. The smell is hoppy as hell, but noticeably different from dry-hopped beers. This hop smell is more "pure" - more floral, weedy, and nature-esque. Slight citrus notes are present in the background.

The taste is spot on - fresh, wet, floral hops, heavy on the weeds. As I kept drinking, I kept thinking of a freshly cut lawn with morning dew all over it. The taste and smell of these hops are just so fresh, it's really something special. It's like taking a hop and just sucking on it. Some warmth in the background and just a touch of spice to keep things interesting. Lots of carbonation and a medium body with some slight stickiness.

This was my first wet-hopped beer and I was pleasantly surprised. The difference between dry and wet hops is quite noticeable. Both similar, yet very different tastes. I enjoyed how fresh and pure this beer tasted - definitely a treat. I would like to get my hands on some more of this beer.

A little different from what I was expecting from Founders. Not bad by any means, but unique. The best way I can explain it as having and earthy, nutty, woody taste in an APA. Very good. I guess the wet hops add these characteristics where dry hops cannot. Not the greatest APA, but different and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely pick it up if you can.